Parrot CK3100 bluetooth, mechanical installation (photos)

[The Clevite Kid]

In an earlier thread (Electronics expertise needed - Parrot CK3100), I had asked about which aftermarket harness to use, then about mods to the cheap harness, and finally I reported electrical SUCCESS ! This thread is to document the mechanical installation process, and the packaging issues I encountered. The FIRST photo indicates my implementation of the voltage divider described in the earlier thread - four resistors set up to cut the 11 watt output voltage by a factor of 10 to feed into the amp of the base C6 audio system. The resistors and leads are all inside the blue heat-shrink tubing, but attached to the cut white and red wires from the Parrot universal box with plug-in connectors, in case I had to fine-tune the circuit (but I did not need to, Mark I works fine). The SECOND photo shows the instrument panel with the console and radio bezel off, and the radio and heater controls removed. There is a good amount of room behind the heater control box, and also to the right of the radio, towards the glove-box. The pink wire with the blue connector is ignition-switched +12VDC, picked up at the heated-seat fuse under the passenger side toe-board. Photo THREE shows the blue Parrot universal box, well padded with bubble-wrap, shoved into the space between the radio and the glove-box. The Parrot harness center section is protected inside the white foam wrap and stuffed behind the Parrot universal box, also to the right of the radio. The QuickConnect harness connections to the Parrot harness are wrapped with white foam wrap, pushed into a vacant space behind the left side of the HVAC controls, and padded with packing foam pieces to keep them from rattling around. In this photo all the radio connections are made, and the radio is ready to go back into the Instrument Panel. The FOURTH photo shows the harness connections in the lower left in more detail. I used several pieces of packing foam in varioius shapes and sizes to fill in the open spaces to keep everything in position, and to minimize any stray noise and rattles coming from this installation. The loose connectors are for the HVAC. Before I took them out I used a Sharpie to label them H (for "Heater") and L, M, and R for their positions on the back of the control box. My next post in this thread will have the finale.

[The Clevite Kid]

. . . Continuing where we left off :

The FIRST photo (in THIS post) shows the radio back in position, but the HVAC still sitting out of the picture on the workbench. You can better see the marks I put on the HVAC connectors to make life easier.

Those with the power of observation will have noticed that the shifter in this photo is NOT the OEM shifter shown in the prior post. The Parrot Bluetooth installation was done in conjunction with installing the new MGW 15% HighPrecision-LowEffort shifter for my MN6. See C6 Tech/Performance if you are really interested in that.

The SECOND picture is just a peek up under the radio, for a better view of all the wires that get stuffed behind the HVAC controller.

And the THIRD and final picture shows everything back together and working. If you have had your console out, you know that releasing the connector from the power outlet at the back of the console (under the center armrest lid) is a pain in the butt. The release lever is on the TOP of the outlet, right next to the top panel. Getting at it is almost impossible. Why GM did it that way, who knows? While I had the panel off, I looked very carefully at the outlet for how to remove it and reinstall it rotated 180 degress. I finally concluded that it was snapped in with no intention of ever being removed or replaced. So I just put the ol' Channelock pliers on the sucker and gave it half a turn . Still nice and tight, with no perceptible tendency to rotate. And if the console/radio bezel ever comes off again, it will be a lot less frustrating.

The Parrot CK3100 control box lives behind the ashtray door. The ashtray is gone, as is its carrier, leaving a nice flat back wall onto which I glued a tapered block of wood to position the Parrot control where it was convenient, but still allows the ashtray door to close. Velcro on the wood and on the Parrot Control keeps it in place, but made the final installation a lot easier than some other means of attachment.

All-in-all, I am very satisfied with the installation, and given what I encountered I am glad I did not let the so-called technicians at one of the big-box electronics stores try to do this for me.

And the new shifter works great, too .